St John's Museum Clerkenwell
I have always had a fascination with Knights ever since I was nine and realised my father had several Knighthoods from around the world. Since then he has gone on to acquire many more and it was my privilege to be there for one such moment.
The Order of Saint John does a lot of investitures and I can say for a fact that it is a very proud moment when your father is being made a Commander of the Order by the Duke of Gloucester. I was very proud that I had been invited to witness this occasion, as it was a unique experience, to say the least.
At the beginning of the day we were required to congregate in the Order's Church, where there were a lot of people wearing capes. It was like something out of the old fairytales for me, yet equally something rather strange, as when you see rich Americans wearing capes and swearing their oath of allegiance to the Queen, you wonder at the spectacle in front you!
After the ceremony in the Church, all the new Knights troop out wearing their new capes, across the public streets and back to the Museum. En route I chatted to a American billionaire who owned Hydraulic factors. He seemed to take a special interest in me as I was one of the youngest at the event.
The Museum itself and the hidden rooms are like an Oxford college. As the herd of Knights moved into the upper rooms I stoped in awe as they were breathtaking and it gave me a glimpse into what it must have been like many eons ago when this building was a bustling medieval sanctuary. The Knights were very polite and very charming. It was exciting because when I was reading about Knights and chivalry little did I think I would be talking to a living and breathing Knight.
The Museum itself is steeped in history; during the time of Henry the VIII it was used as a place to store tents. (What a waste of space!) Then it used to be an old tavern where Doctor Johnson went to work on his famous dictionary. It has also supported many famous figures in history and particularly t was where two famous Williams spent a lot of their time. The famous artist William Hogarth lived there and William Shakespeare often visited to get approval for his amazing plays.
When one visits the museum you get the sense of entering a shrine dedicated to the history of this distinguished Order. Lady Edwina Mountbatten reminds me a lot of Florence Nightingale. They were both members of the Order of Saint John and both supported hospitals. I personally think they are great role models to admire.
During the outbreak of World War Two Lady Mountbatten supported the role of ambulances for which the Order is still know for today; St John's Ambulances. They are both inspirational leaders in their own rights. Florence Nightingale was one of the first women members in the Order of Saint John. What a heroine, and what must she have thought of talking to men wearing silly capes!
As I am sure its a common question on peoples minds these days. What makes a royal order? Queen Victoria created the distinguished order of Saint John to help strengthen her British claim to the crown. There is a strong link to the Catholic Order of Malta. The main difference being that the Order of Saint John is Protestant while the Order of Malta is Catholic.
The Museum in Clerkenwell is worth a visit as it is a hidden treasure. Overall, it was a lovely visit and the most striking feature about this museum is that its still has original features, which is astonishing.
Even more than this, my visit strengthened my dream to one day be like my father, and become a Knight serving the British Empire. The first Knight with Asperger's; now that is a fairytale worth telling!
